Happy not so happy new year to Malawians.
It is just right and proper that President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera before he addresses Malawians on new year, we at The Investigator should give him extra options he could add in his speech. He is a president whose words mean nothing; his promises are mere theoretical performance for the cameras. So, before we start 2023, he should add words resignation or referendum to his vocabulary.
As Roman Catholic Church Bishops said eloquently, unless you belong to the few that are benefitting from the current national chaos, Malawi is a failed state. In short, the President, his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the entire Government has failed Malawi. These are the words of the bishops, not us. But we agree, just like any sane Malawian.
The scariest thing, is that starting from the President, his Cabinet and his hangers on, have publicly confessed they don’t know anything, even what is going on, within their own Government.
The President didn’t know MWK750 million was being paid corruptly, he didn’t know people he appointed were stealing from ADMARC and he confessed that he didn’t know who even ordered the arrest of Martha Chizuma, the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
What President Chakwera knows is to protect his corrupt battalion of loyalists. Mr Eisenhower Mkaka, his Secretary General is being probed publicly of receiving vehicles from Zuneth Sattar, he still enjoys the tax payer’s money, courtesy of President Chakwera.
Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba, his appointee, is still Chairing the National Oil Company of Malawi and still in office when it was mentioned under oath, that she tried to bully the Acting Chief Executive Officer to give contracts to friends of hers, the President sees nothing wrong.
Actually, under his Leadership, theft, plunder, looting and corruption has been normalised and when well wishers blow the whistle, the President ready answer is I didn’t know.
When he took oath of office, he swore using the Bible to protect and defend the constitution, and later he said he will be the President of all Malawians. We all know, these are the things he has failed to even walk. It is a tall order to believe the next three years President Chakwera and his team of failures will change anything.
He has failed to defend the constitution- which is the source of political and authority, deriving from the people of Malawi, as per dictates of section 12 (i), the fundamental principles of our state as enshrined in the constitution.
Chakwera’s leadership fails short of promoting equality, as recruitment in Government agencies is now based on where one comes from. We wont dwell on his blatant nepotism which he has tried to defend.
The President has lost trust of Malawians, he is clueless and he admits he doesn’t know, per section 12 (ii) of the constution again he can only sustain his power through continued trust of Malawians. The only way for him to measure if Malawians still trust him is to call for a referendum as Kamuzu Banda did in 1992.
The President has failed to protect the interests of Malawians, including their hard-earned taxes which are plundered by people he appointed and still defends them to continue looting. Section 12 (i) of the constitution is clear; power can only be exercised to protect interests of Malawians.
The President and his Government does not believe in public accountability, they have continuously hidden reports from Malawians, and used only parts that serves their political interests, contrary again to section 12 (iii) of the constitution.
President Chakwera has failed to provide leadership. The economy is in tatters, real inflation over 30%, foreign exchange now very scarce, Malawians living in darkness and we now experience frequent shortages.
The President has failed to protect Malawian interest opting to give sovereign guarantees (committing every Malawian to paying) to crooked institutions and nobody in his administration has been taken to task for trying to push the whole nation into debt without due diligence.
The President has brought a big embarrassment to the office of the President than any other leader before him, bringing some crooks to the State House and mocking the whole nation to believe they will bring US$6.9 billion which doesn’t exist.
The President has failed to lead, there is no hope. 73% of Malawians have gone into absolute poverty, he has no idea how to change the tide. Maize, the staple food is now scarce and expensive, poor people are paying with their lives because of his incompetence.
The President now presides over fuel reserves of less than 15 days, there is no fertiliser for those with money, there is no fertiliser for the AIP. The nation faces a Chakwera made food crisis in 2023 and 2024. The K750 million we could have bought at least 11 539 bags of fertilisers, add AG Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda and then Ministry of Agriculture Lobin Lowes K100 million travels to meet suppliers, 15,000 bags of fertilisers have been wasted by the people the President appointed and defends.
Nobody has been arrested, for all the theft, plunder and potential plunder like the SPC Zamba wanted to engineer.
In short, Malawi has become a lawless state, where powerful forces above the President control and run Government, while he spends time on photo ops and hiding reports.
Since President Chakwera does not know anything, the only way for him to save his name and legacy is to leave the post honourably so that the mafia and dark forces that are holding him can fall off.
Afrobarometre survey found out that two thirds of Malawians lost confidence in him and think his leadership is worse than others before.
The President would do himself a service if he asked Malawians what they think of his leadership, it would save the nation another three years of wastage and plunder. A referendum can be a dignified exit for him. But if he has courage, he can simply resign and let Malawians decide their future without his clueless leadership.
Dr Chakwera is trying to normalise suffering, it is time, when he speaks on New Years day, admit he has failed, miserably.
